England World Cup squad: Who goes to Russia?Statistics and numbers

Media playback is not supported on this deviceWorld Cup 2018: Who will Gareth Southgate choose to go to Russia?On Wednesday, England boss Gareth Southgate will name the 23 players who will travel to Russia for the World Cup.Southgate will have to shed 12 names from the 35-man long list, which was submitted to Fifa on Monday.And while the England manager will have a good idea who will comprise the bulk of his squad, he will have big decisions to make around fringe players.So, who is in form and who has stood out in the Premier League this season?BBC Sport has taken the key statistics from each position to see if there are any stand-out options.The five key questions facing SouthgateGoalkeepers

[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/{width}{hidpi}/cpsprodpb/C1B9/production/_101539594_keepers.png" data-sizes="auto" alt="Goalkeeper statistics">Is there any position in the England starting XI surrounded by more uncertainty than the goalkeeper[/img]

Central defenders

[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/{width}{hidpi}/cpsprodpb/10FD9/production/_101539596_central-defenders_v2.png" data-sizes="auto" alt="England defender statistics">Southgate looks likely to play with three central defenders in Russia, meaning there are more slots to vie for in the line-up.Manchester City's John Stones - the most accurate passer of the candidates - looks certain to start, but Southgate has experimented with other centre-halves in recent friendlies.No England World Cup prospect has made more tackles than Leicester's Harry Maguire, Manchester United defender Chris Smalling leads the way in successful tackles and Burnley's James Tarkowski has made a remarkable 43 blocks this term.Smalling's defensive club partner Phil Jones has struggled with injuries, but has shown his composure on the ball with a pass accuracy of 91.3%, which could show he will fit into Southgate's system.There is, of course, the strong possibility that Kyle Walker could line up in the central three, but he features in our wing-backs section as he usually plays at right-back for Manchester City.Wing-backs[img]http://www.bbc.co.uk/data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

Should Walker move to centre-back, that will likely open up the right wing-back position for Tottenham's Kieran Trippier, who has covered more ground per game in the Premier League than any of his rivals this season and also fares well when it comes to crosses made.The left side throws up more options, though, with Manchester City's Fabian Delph registering the best pass completion rate and highest number of completed dribbles.Spurs' Danny Rose has barely featured this term, leaving Southampton's Ryan Bertrand and Manchester United's Ashley Young as the other likely contenders.Bertrand has made 100 crosses this season, the highest on the list, but Young also ranks high for crosses, as well as when it comes to completed dribbles.Midfielders

Dele Alli has been accused of "going missing" at times this season but the numbers don't lie - he has been one of the most influential English midfielders, creating 64 chances for team-mates and providing 10 assists. You can add nine goals to that, too.When looking at other creative options, Liverpool's Adam Lallana, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Crystal Palace loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek have not been able to string together enough appearances to challenge Alli's figures.But Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey has the statistics to back up calls for him to go to Russia, with 41 chances created and three assists - only Alli has better numbers in those areas.Perhaps surprisingly, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson has registered just one assist this term but features quite high up the list when it comes to tackles made.That will be a key statistic for whoever gets chosen to play the holding midfield role, and while Spurs' Eric Dier has made an impressive 61 tackles, he misses out on top spot to West Brom's Jake Livermore with 72.Livermore may be held back by his ball distribution, however, with his 78.60% pass accuracy one of the lowest on the list.Away from the Premier League, it is worth noting the 15 goals scored in the Championship this season by Fulham's 17-year-old winger Ryan Sessegnon, who can also play at wing-back.Forwards

When assessing England's forward options, the first striker on the teamsheet is, quite obviously, Tottenham's Harry Kane.With the most goals (30) and best goals per minutes ratio (one every 103 minutes) of any Englishman in this season's Premier League, he is top of the pile - but who can make a claim to play alongside him[/IMG]My England starting XIGareth Southgate's England are running out of games before the World Cup in 2018. Choose who you would pick in their starting XI in Russia - and then share it with your friends using our team selector.

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